A Princess's Protection
by BluePuffBall
Summary: What if Zelda was forced by a protector to leave the Castle before Zant arrived? Follow the Princess as she does more than sit in a Castle and helps the Hero save her realm. M for gore. Zelink. AU.
1. Ch 1: Escape

**_Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda._**

**Chapter One: Escape**

Princess Zelda Nohansen Harkinian Hyrule was currently a very unhappy ruler. The source of her displeasure was normally what made her days bearable. Impa her guardian, protector, and attendant was currently dragging her down to the stables. Luceriu and Atleru were waiting with bulging saddlebags. She would usually be thrilled to be escaping from her castle that had lately seemed to be more prison than home but it wasn't every day that Hyrule Castle was attacked. Many emotions were being tossed through her mind like a restless river withe fear and rage being two feelings that were most dominant in her mind as she ran through the deserted halls with the Sheikah. With rage far outweighing fear. Anger - not at Impa - but at the beings currently attacking her home, her people.

"Impa," Despite how her emotions were currently raging, Zelda knew that it was necessary to be quiet. "You're asking me to do the impossible."

The white-haired Sheikah glanced back at her charge. "Zelda, you know as well as I that even if this castle falls it will not matter. However, if _you_ fall with it, so will Hyrule."

The princess knew her guardian to be correct but could not bring herself to admit that leaving was the correct course of action. "Impa, you're saying that I should just _leave_ those knights to die as I run like a coward."

The older woman stopped and looked into Zelda's azure eyes with her own crimson ones. "Princess, you have never been - and never will be - a coward. You might be fleeing, but you are only running so that you may fight another day. So that Hyrule may still persevere in this time under your leadership. If you fall to the Twili than your kingdom will soon follow. Those men understand that, and are willing to give their lives for a chance. The chance that you will save Hyrule with the extra time their deaths will give you. Highness, you know this to be true. You bear the Triforce of Wisdom, Zelda. Listen to it, instead of your heart."

Reddish-gold hair fell forward as the princess bowed her head. _How can I? _She thought. _When my heart is crying out with such agony?_ Still she gave into her friend's urgings and focused on the Divine Relic in her hand and asked, _is Impa right?_ A flood of warmth shot up her arm, centering from the lower left triangle of the Triforce that was on the back of her right hand. She allowed a small smile to grace her face. No matter how many times she called upon the Triforce, Zelda knew that she would never tire of the feeling of comfort that radiated from the Relic. The princess allowed her smile to fall from her face as she took a deep breath, raising her head. "It might be the wisest decision, but my heart howls out against it."

Impa smiled. "It is your wisdom and heart that make you such a beloved ruler my Princess. It is your heart that makes you just and the wisdom that allows your people to thrive. Know that while they might not seem to be able to function together, they _can_ agree - and when they do not even the mightiest of opponents can stand in your way."

The castle shook on its foundations, cutting off anything the princess would have said. The Sheikah woman hurriedly pulled Luceriu out and held the warhorse so the princess could mount. When her charge was safely on her horse Impa quickly settled onto her own stallion. "We must hurry!"

The two women galloped out of the gates of Hyrule Castle, through Castle Town and into Hyrule field beyond.

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><p>As the single most important woman in Hyrule was fleeing from her home, horrible creatures were entering the throne room. Even the most hardened of Knights felt chills at the sounds that they made…And the echoes of their comrades' dying screams. The Captain of the Knights, Luthain, called for his men to hold steady, to hold for their princess. And hold they did…For five minutes.<p>

The monsters steadily decreased the soldiers numbers until what could only be the leader of them approached through the white mist. He wore robes, with sleeves long enough to make it appear that he did not have hands, and a mask that seemed to depict a frog's head with a snake's tongue. It was rather disturbing.

Luthain did not have time to fully process the development before what seemed to be at least an elite, if not a Royal, guard – for it was far more grand, in a disturbing way, than any of it predecessors – hoisted him into the air by his throat. The masked man spoke, "Hmmm, I thought that the princess would have been here. Tell me soldier, do you know where you're leader is?"

The monstrosity was squeezing his throat, so it was all the Captain could do to choke out, "Even – if I – knew – I would – never – tell – you!"

"Pity. Perhaps you would care to surrender the Land of Hyrule in her stead then?"

Luthain saw black at the edges of his vision. He knew that if he said no to again to this man, he and his soldiers would die. The captain felt despair begin to creep in. But then the princess's face flashed across his mind. It was the day she had knighted _him_, a commoner that had made him give her his eternal respect. He knew that if he gave her position away to this monster, all would be lost. So the Knight did what he was trained to do. He died for his Land, his Princess. "Never – I would never…Hyrule – will – NEVER – be – _yours!_"

He spat his final words of defiance at the masked man as the darkness fully encroached upon his vision. His final thought was not of his own death though. It was not even of his fellow knights. It was a prayer. A plea to the Divine Beings to aid his charge. _Please Goddesses, keep her safe. Keep our Princess safe._

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><p><strong>Well, at least this one made sense. Usually my first chapters don't...Hopefully, you enjoyed reading it. Now I think that it goes with out saying that this won't be anything like the actual game of Twilight Princess, but I'll say so everyone understands. <em>This won't be anything like the actual game...<em>Well, I'll try to stick pretty close to the events of the game, but there will be some major/minor changes (For example, my Zelda's hair mostly gold with a slight tinge of red, while the game's Zelda has auburn/brown hair) so if you're a die-hard fan of TP and want to murder anyone who changes what happens, don't read this story...Other than that it should be fine for the rest LoZ fans. The second chapter will be up soon, and it will be longer than this one. All of my updates will probably be longer than this one. And with that I will end this AN...**

_**EDIT 6-3-11: I've gone back and added some things, fixed a few mistakes. Hopefully it flows better this way. If you spot any mistakes, please point them out so I can fix them.**_


	2. Ch 2: Conversations

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight Princess._**

**Chapter Two: Conversations**

Zelda pulled Luceriu to a stop on a grassy hill and looked back towards Castle Town. She immediately wished that she hadn't. Hyrule Castle - the place she had grown up at, her _home_ - was on fire. As she studied the scene more, she realized that the Castle itself couldn't be on fire, as it was made of stone, and therefore almost impossible to light ablaze. Rather it was the surrounding grounds - the gardens that she loved to walk through - that were alight. She was unable to stop the first tear that spilled out of her eyes and onto her check, but no others came flooding after that single drop.

The princess felt a hand on her arm and she looked over to see Impa leaning toward her. "You could not have done anything." The Sheikah guardian said softly.

"That is what my head tells me but my heart feels that I should have fallen with my Castle." Zelda murmured. She shook herself, like a dog, to rid herself from the anguish she felt at watching her home fall. "Come, we must be out of Lanayru Province before Twilight comes."

For instead of the normal twilight of perhaps a half-hour it would be a Twilight of Eternity. Her people would not notice, but she knew that she would. The Triforce resting in her hand assured her of that. Impa nodded and put Atleru into a trot. "Your love for ancient myths now is put to good use."

"I think we can agree that they are more than mere fables. At least for the Legend of the Twili." The princess said as she sent Luceriu into a quick canter to catch up to her guardian.

Impa concurred and they settled into a comfortable silence, each woman leaving the other to her own thoughts.

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><p>"Tell me, do you ever feel a strange sadness as dusk falls?" A man of middling age asked a youth. The boy with blond hair that reached his shoulders turned to look at his companion. "It is said that it is the only time when our world intersects with theirs…The only time we can feel the lingering regrets of the spirits who have left our world. That is why loneliness always pervades the hour of twilight."<p>

The man turned to meet the gaze of the blond. "But enough talk of sadness. I have a favor to ask of you Link."

The boy – young man really – tilted his head to the side. "Oh, what is it, Rusl?"

"I was supposed to deliver something to the Royal Family of Hyrule the day after tomorrow – yes it was a task set to me by the mayor, I can see the question in your eyes Link – but…would you go in my stead?"

Link remained silent, not knowing how to respond. It would be a great honor to deliver something to the Royal Family, but could he bear the prejudices of others? He had heard nothing but praises for Princess Zelda but not all rumors were true. The people carrying the tales of her kindness could only be saying that for fear of having their heads chopped off.

Ordon was a small village, at the very edge of Hyrule. While technically a part of the country, most looked down on the rural settlement – despite the important products it provided. Rusl took Link's silence as a refusal and asked, "You have…never been to Hyrule, right?"

The man of seventeen years shook his head. His surrogate father than took to describing the capital of Hyrule. "In the Kingdom of Hyrule there is a great castle, and around it is Castle Town, a community far bigger than our little village…And far bigger than Hyrule is the rest of the world the Gods created." Rusl paused for a moment. "You deserve to look upon it all with your own eyes Link."

Despite his reluctance, the young Ordonian, found himself nodding. Then Rusl stood from his spot next to Faron Spring. "It is getting late. We should return to the Village. I will speak to the mayor about this matter."

The man began to walk away and as Link started to stand to follow he felt a strange sensation in his left hand. It felt…Warm. The young man raised his hand to his eyes and felt his heart began to beat faster. The dark tattoo – three interlocking triangles – he had had all his life was no longer dark. Instead it shone with a bright light, but the lower right section brighter than the rest. "What in Farore's name…?"

It was an unusual curse for someone from Ordon. The villagers worshipped a different set of Gods than the rest of Hyrule which only added to the animosity between the province and the rest of its adjoining lands. For some reason Link had never felt right praying to those Gods and so prayed to the three Goddesses like the rest of his country. What was even more surprising was that the one section got an even more intense glow at the Goddess of Courage's name.

"Link!" His hand fell as he looked to Rusl, who was standing by the gate that the Ordonians had built to keep monsters from invading the village while they slept. "Come quickly before I lock you out."

The young man shook his head, put the strange happening out of his mind, grabbed Epona and hurried after Rusl before the man carried through with his threat.

As he lay in bed that night, Link couldn't help looking at his hand. The tattoo was once again dark, without the mysterious glow that it had that evening. He couldn't help puzzling over it. Either he was born with it or had been tattooed at a very young age. No one knew exactly considering Link had been abandoned in Faron Woods and had been found by Rusl.

The young man had always wondered why his parents had left him and whether it was because they had to or if they just didn't want him. Link shook his head and mumbled, "I suppose that you want me to visit the Princess to?"

It was a habit, when he got lonely, that he talked to the tattoo. It was the only thing that even remotely connected him to his parents, and he liked to imagine that they would give advice through it. It never responded to his questions or comments – it was a tattoo after all – but it did give him a small amount of comfort.

Link gasped as the strange symbol once again glowed white hot and flared with warmth that travel up his arm and into his shoulder. He watched as the glow faded but while he had been undecided before he knew now that he do Rusl's 'favor' because of this sign. Never before had it glowed in such a way and Link _knew_ that it meant he was supposed to go to Hyrule proper. Go to Castle Town. Go to Hyrule Castle. Go, and meet Princess Zelda.

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><p>Impa and Zelda sat across from each other at a campfire. They had crossed the boundary of Provinces and into Eldin with only a few minutes to spare and watched as a perpetual darkness enveloped the land behind them.<p>

Even though there was little she could do, the princess still felt like the entire mess was her fault. Guilt was weighing her mind and heart down, and no matter how wise she was it would not help in dealing with her unruly emotions.

Sighing, the young sovereign of seventeen stood and rummaged through her saddlebags, knowing that the servants would have packed more suitable clothes. Her normal grab – a dress with the royal purple with gold trinkets and the famed Regent Crown – was anything but inconspicuous when trying to travel around among commoners. It was a certain way to get the attention of every person of normal ilk for miles. And the attentions of those of noble blood as well, though to be honest Zelda liked the commoners better. She quickly found the clothes and started to change.

The princess knew that her guardian was watching her but it wasn't strange. Zelda was used to Impa's constant surveillance and knew that the Sheikah was giving her as much privacy as possible without stopping the constant scan for danger. When she was finished, she looked like a rather successful mercenary, but not a princess.

A loose blue tunic with the Triforce sewed in silver on her back along with black leggings intricately decorated with more silver thread in no specific pattern. Burnished black leather boots and belt completed her regular ensemble, with dark bracers, and shin guards adding to her appearance. All of these things had the Triforce on the some how. The boots, shin guards, and bracers all had it molded into the very leather while the belt had silver thread depicting it.

It was almost perfect, save for the hair. Zelda calmly began undoing her intricate braids that added to her regal appearance and then redid her hair in a single simple braid with deft movements.

When finished with that she pulled on the flexible leather gloves embroidered with silver Triforces on the backs of them. She folded her court clothes and stuffed them without ceremony in the saddlebag that had contained the things she was now wearing. She unbuckled her sword – far more regal than anything a real mercenary would have – from the saddle and fastened it to her left hip.

Zelda then turned to Impa and asked, "How do I look?"

The Sheikah smirked. "Like a Royal Guardian."

The princess blinked and looked down. _Of course. All the Triforce representations. No one other than a priest, Royal, or Royal Guard would even dare to wear _one_ and I'm bedecked in at least _twenty_ of them._ She sighed and shrugged. "Too late to do anything about that now. At least I'll have an excuse for knowing some of the things I do."

Impa nodded and the small camp once again descended into silence as Zelda sat back down. _I suppose I'll have to act like I was a favorite Guard of the myself. _The thought made her snort, causing Impa to look at her questioningly. "I was just thinking about how to explain why I have so many Triforces and then I realized that I was going to have to act like I'm a favorite of the 'princess' because I've saved her so many times or something." She explained, saying her title sarcastically.

A small smile graced the Guardian's face. "At least it wouldn't be a complete lie. You do save yourself quite often."

Zelda chuckled softly for a moment before she let the sound slip away. She couldn't forget the men who had likely given their lives earlier that day to save her. Impa sensed her change of mood and said, "We should get some rest Royal Guardian. We'll need it so we can reach the next province Twilight tomorrow."

The princess nodded and lay back on the ground, staring up at the stars. The last time she had slept outside under them, she hadn't been the ruling sovereign. Her mother had still been alive and she had been perhaps the most care-free of her entire life. That was almost six years ago. Her mother had died two years previous, making Zelda the youngest ruler in centuries at fifteen.

As she felt sleep tugging at the edges of her consciousness, the princess sent up one final prayer for the night. _Please, Goddesses, watch over my people. Watch over them until I return and may they be safe when I do._

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><p><strong>Told you it be up fast. Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, and if not - too bad, I suppose. I said everything I wanted to say in the last updated...Well, other than that this one will probably be the last one until the Wednesday after this one, as my Finals are at the end of this weekbeginning of next. The good news is that after that I'll be out of school. So, yeah...Au revoir.**

_**EDIT, 6-3-11:**** I've fixed a few things in this chapter now to. I seemed to think 'pray' means 'prayer' when I wrote these chapters. Sorry about that. If you spot any mistakes (or what you feel like are mistakes) please point them out so I can a) fix them or b) explain why the story is the way it is.**_

_****_EDIT, 7-5-11: Due to the fact that its better if I focus on one story at a time, this one will be going through a period of no updates, the length depending on however long it takes me to finish one of my other stories...Sorry for that._****_


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